The present invention pertains to a motor vehicle suspension strut mount assembly which includes an integral strut bearing and embodiments which provide for multiple load paths to transfer normal suspension loads and wheel jounce to the vehicle body structure. The invention also provides an improved mount plate assembly with a composite upper plate and transmission of only strut damper loads into the upper plate.
In the production of automotive vehicles, there is an ever present need to provide a variety of vehicle configurations to serve a wide variety of customer needs and desires. Concomitantly, it is desirable to minimize production costs by providing parts which may be interchanged across various vehicle models or by developing a family of components using common parts or parts which may be sufficiently similar in configuration to minimize engineering, material and production costs.
Vehicle components which may benefit from the use of common parts while providing for specific different performance characteristics include suspension mount assemblies, particularly mount assemblies used in conjunction with so-called McPherson strut type suspensions. In McPherson strut type suspensions for vehicle steerable wheels, a rolling element bearing assembly usually forms a support between the strut damper piston rod and the vehicle body structure and a single load path for suspension spring loads, damper induced loads and wheel jounce loads is provided. However, it is desirable to distribute these loads to minimize wear and tear on such bearing assemblies.
It is also desirable to provide a family of mount assemblies or mechanisms to provide the flexibility to change the ride and handling characteristics required of different vehicles while providing for essentially the same mount assembly across vehicle product lines. It is further deemed desirable to minimize the costs associated with the manufacture of such mount assemblies or mechanisms by reducing the assembly complexity, allowing optimization of suspension loads transmitted into the vehicle and modifying vehicle ride characteristics without significant vehicle configuration changes and while also minimizing the number of mount assembly designs. It is to these ends that the present invention has been developed.
The present invention provides an improved suspension strut mount assembly for a motor vehicle having a so-called McPherson strut type or similar type suspension mechanism.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an improved vehicle mount assembly is provided including a so-called integral steering bearing wherein suspension spring loads, damper loads and wheel jounce loads may transmit through the bearing to the vehicle body structure, thus forming a single load path. Alternatively, the mount assembly may be configured such that spring loads, suspension strut damper loads and wheel jounce loads may be transmitted through different load paths to the vehicle body structure.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a mount assembly is provided for a strut type vehicle suspension wherein damper loads and wheel jounce loads are transmitted through suitable elastomer load transmission members to the vehicle body structure and a so-called external bearing arrangement is provided in certain embodiments of the mount assembly to provide a dual load path mount or a triple load path mount for transmitting suspension loads to the vehicle body structure.
In accordance with another important aspect of the invention, a vehicle suspension strut mount plate assembly is provided which utilizes a plate member of non-metal composite construction. The plate assembly is configured such that only strut damper loads are transmitted into the upper plate of the mount plate assembly and vehicle jounce bumper loads are transmitted directly from a lower plate of the mount plate assembly to the vehicle body structure. The configurations of the upper and lower plates of the mount plate assembly are such that metal to metal contact is provided in the fastener load path to provide suitable clamping of the mount plate assembly retention, the shape of the composite upper plate can be varied to tune the mount for desired performance characteristics. Circumferentially spaced radially extending ribs or other suitably shaped members are molded into the composite upper plate to insure that the upper plate is tightly trapped between the lower plate and the so-called tower part of the vehicle body structure to minimize movement and noise and to provide a direct load path for damper loads.
Those skilled in the art will further appreciate the above-mentioned advantages and superior features of the invention together with other important aspects thereof upon reading the detailed description which follows in conjunction with the drawings.